Despite losing some key pieces, South Dakota State looks to stay atop the Summit League while Kansas City hopes to play spoiler.
The Summit League should provide mid-major basketball fans with plenty of intrigue this year, with familiar faces falling back, relative newcomers rising up, and an outside shot at another transitioning team winning a conference tournament.
The defending regular-season and conference tournament champions at South Dakota State have to replace some massive pieces and might slip off their throne if it doesn’t go smoothly. North Dakota State is vying to regain its old glory days after back-to-back losing seasons. Kansas City might be the casual fan favorite, though, as they aim to get themselves off the schneid with a first-ever NCAA Tournament bid and have the goods to make it happen. And don’t forget about the Tommies, who could play spoiler in the league tourney as St. Thomas remains ineligible for the Big Dance.
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The rest of the league has enough talent to get it done on any given night, too, so there should be no shortage of good basketball in the Summit this year. Expect a regular-season race without much separation at the top, followed by another exciting and unpredictable conference tournament. (Remember, Denver made it to the championship game last year as the No. 7 seed.)
Projected Order of Finish
1. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
Despite losing its entire NCAA Tournament starting lineup — including the league’s Player of the Year (Zeke Mayo) and top defender (William Kyle III) — the reigning league champions may still find their way back to the top spot. But it won’t be a cakewalk by any stretch.
This year’s South Dakota State squad boasts one of the biggest lineups in the Summit, headlined by 6-11 Washington State transfer Oscar Cluff (7.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and complemented by returning 7-footer Nate Barnhart (3.7 ppg, 0.9 bpg in 14.7 mpg). Cluff started 23 games last year, helping Wazzu earn a 7-seed in the Big Dance. Now the big Aussie could have a star turn in the Summit, but he likely won’t need to carry the offensive load.
Sophomore Kalen Garry (7.3 ppg, 34.3 3P%) should have first dibs on the shots Mayo leaves behind. Garry started the first 15 games and played well but moved to the bench around the start of league play. His shot then went ice cold for nearly a dozen games before heating back up during the stretch run.
Next to Garry, head coach Eric Henderson has new options at the point in freshman Owen Larson and former Wisconsin walk-on-turned-scholarship-player Isaac Lindsey (1.0 ppg in 46 career games). Larson appears poised to win the job long-term, but Lindsey’s veteran presence will be a welcome addition and redshirt freshman Joe Sayler will also factor into the backcourt formula. Meanwhile, 6-7 Matthew Mors (3.5 ppg) and 6-5 Bubz Alvarez (1.9 ppg) will likely see upticks in time and must step up accordingly.
Maybe this pick is too predictable. But even with a lot of new and emerging faces in the mix, it’s hard to bet against the boys from Brookings after all the success this program has enjoyed.
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